27th March - VTR Open Day
The annual VTR open day was today, and I was helping out at the Melbourne Perl Mongers stall as per usual. We did a lot of coding on-site for some 7-digit displays controlled via the parrallel port, with many thanks to Scotty for both the hardware and drivers.

It appears that programming retro hardware is much more impressive than flashy websites and graphics, so we had a steady stream of people wanting to find out more.

28th March - Portsea Pier
Went for a couple of dives off Portsea Pier with Jacinta. This was our first time diving in Victoria, so we were wearing quite a bit of neoprene, and consequently quite a lot of lead.

The first dive involved a lost weight belt upon entry to the water, and a lot of fumbling around to get it back. I swallowed some seawater and when we surfaced I was feeling pretty crook. I now know that ginger tablets before diving are a really good idea.

The second dive went a lot smoother, although we had a bit of a scare when a boat decided to go over the top of us.

On the dives we saw weedy seadragons (very cool), globefish (very cute), a clam, and numerous fish that I didn't recognise. I also discovered that shiny fishing flies work just as well at attracting divers as fish, and there was a moment of concern when a fishing line got snagged (not the hook, thankfully).

I was attacked by a large jellyfish but managed to escape by swimming like crazy.

The staff at Dive Victoria, who helped us out with gear, change rooms, and so on were extremely helpful. Full marks for customer management and satisfaction. We had our gear trollied back and forth to the pier, and almost everything done for us. Very nice.

29th March - Visiting Friends
An old high-school friend is back in Australia having spent some time in France. We caught up for both lunch and dinner, and discovered that Tam was as cool as she's always been. It's a bit strange having someone re-appear after 10 years of hardly seeing each other, only to dissapear back again overseas, but I had a fantastic time nonetheless.